Julie Ross
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over a decade of experience in behavioral health. Before moving toward private practice, I spent years leading a large youth and young adult program, which means I've sat with a lot of people on some of the hardest days of their lives — and I've learned what actually helps. I work with teens and adults who want therapy to go somewhere. That usually means clients dealing with trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, or the kind of life transitions that knock you sideways — a diagnosis, a loss, a new role, a relationship shift. I have a particular focus on two groups: parents of children with Type 1 diabetes, and people in leadership or management roles carrying significant professional weight. Both populations share a common thread — they're holding a lot for other people and rarely get a space where someone asks how they are doing. My approach is warm but direct. I won't just nod along. I'll ask you hard questions, notice patterns you might be missing, and help you build skills and insight you can actually use between sessions. Therapy with me tends to feel collaborative and practical — we work on things together, and we keep checking whether it's getting you where you want to go.
First session
First sessions are mostly about fit and orientation — not deep diving. We'll spend a few minutes on logistics (telehealth setup, confidentiality, how scheduling and communication work), then I'll ask you to tell me what brought you in. You don't need to have it organized. Fragments are fine. I'll ask follow-up questions as we go — some about current life, some about history — to get a picture of what's happening and what you're hoping changes. Toward the end, we'll talk about what working together could look like: how often to meet, what we'd focus on first, and what you'd want to feel different a few months from now. If something about the fit isn't right, I'll tell you, and I'll help you find someone better suited. You don't have to prepare anything. If it helps, jot down two or three things you want to make sure we cover — but it's not required. Most people feel a mix of nervous and relieved in a first session. Both are completely normal.
Strengths
What clients tell me stands out is that therapy with me feels like real partnership. We're in it together — thinking through things side by side, figuring out what's actually going on underneath what you're struggling with, and building something that works for your life, not a one-size-fits-all plan. After more than a decade of walking alongside teens, adults, and families through crisis, grief, trauma, and the ordinary hard stuff of being human, I've developed a pretty good sense for patterns — the kinds of currents that keep pulling people back to the same place. When I notice something, I'll share it gently and check whether it resonates with you. Your experience is the authority in the room; I'm just bringing another set of eyes. I also care about direction. Therapy with me tends to have a sense of movement — we'll talk about what you want to feel different, revisit it together, and adjust course when something isn't working. If one approach isn't quite fitting, we'll try another. You get a say in all of it. My hope is that you leave our work together feeling more grounded in who you are, more equipped for what life brings, and carrying forward skills and insight that are genuinely yours — not something that only works when we're on a call together.
Ideal clients
I work best with teens and adults who are ready to do focused, active work — not open-ended venting, but therapy with direction. That often looks like working through trauma, anxiety, depression, and the messy transitions that come with new roles, loss, or shifts in identity. I draw on several approaches and match the method to what you're actually dealing with, rather than fitting you into one model. I have a particular focus on parents of children with Type 1 diabetes. The diagnosis day, the 3 a.m. alarms, the hypervigilance that never fully turns off — it's a specific kind of chronic stress and grief that rarely gets named in regular therapy. If you're exhausted, snapping at the people you love, or quietly mourning the life you expected your family to have, that response makes sense, and it responds well to treatment. I also work with people in leadership and management roles who are quietly struggling under the weight of responsibility — the decisions that keep you up at night, the exhaustion of always being the steady one, the loneliness of a role where you can't fully unload on anyone around you. I've held those roles myself, and I know the specific shape of that stress. With teens, I work best with those who are willing to engage, even reluctantly — not those being dragged in with zero buy-in. I'm probably not the best fit if you're looking for long-term supportive talk therapy without specific goals, or if you're in acute crisis needing a higher level of care.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT helps clients notice the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, then test and change the patterns that aren't serving them. I use it for depression, anxiety, and stress, often with between-session practice so skills transfer into daily life. The pace and structure flex depending on what each client needs.
Interpersonal
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) focuses on how current relationships and life transitions affect mood, and how changes in those areas can improve it. I use it most often for depression tied to grief, role changes (new job, parenthood, separation, retirement), or ongoing interpersonal conflict. The work is time-limited and goal-focused.
Motivational Interviewing
MI is a collaborative, non-confrontational approach I use when clients are weighing change — around substances, health behaviors, relationships, or major decisions. Rather than pushing in a direction, we explore what matters to you and what's getting in the way, so any change comes from your own reasoning.
Solution-Focused Brief Treatment
SFBT is a brief, forward-looking approach that focuses on what's already working and what you want more of, rather than dwelling on problem history. It fits clients who want practical momentum in a shorter number of sessions.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Licensed in
- MissouriLicense 2021041384